Brody

Chapter 119

After the first experiment was a success Alex and Bernie wanted to perform a second one to determine if living matter can safely pass through the threshold. Of course there was a debate on exactly what they should use as their guinea pig.

  Bernie had suggested using a baby bird in the nearby nest but Alex vetoed that suggestion not fond of the idea of possibly vaporizing some poor bird. They eventually agreed on using a mouse which happily survived the trip through the window and door. Though Alex felt that they needed to keep the mouse in order study it for possible side effects.

He assured him that he only wanted to keep it for science. Evan could not help but be a bit skeptical.

It was currently residing in a shoebox in Alex's room. He told Alex that he would ask Gloria to get a cage for it. To house until the experiment was over of course.

They wanted to perform yet one more experiment which consisted of sending drones into the other rooms and firing tennis balls through their windows to see if they would disappear or the anamoly was only localized to the science lab.

Evan told them that he experimented out for the evening but they could pick it up again tomorrow. They begrudgingly agreed and then made their way to the theater room with Stephen and Brody to watch some television show that they all happened to like.

Evan went to the library and he contacted Coy for an update. They had just reached the city and were twenty minutes out from the warehouse.  He told them to contact him if they found anything.

Evan then sunk into his chair drained.  The last few days had been an emotional roller coaster and he doubted it was going to get better any time soon.

No he thought it was probably going to get much worse.

Evan contacted the medical clinic to check on Tobey.  They told him that he was resting but improving. The doctor was confident that he could be released in the morning.

He cautioned them to make sure that the blood was locked up.  Just in case he was not strong enough to resist cravings again.

He thought he should get some work done but could not bring himself to care enough to do it.  All he wanted was to go his room and rest his eyes for just a few minutes.

I guess it would not hurt to lay down for a few minutes he told himself. After these last couple of days I definitely earned it.

Evan checked on the boys who were engrossed in their show.  He then stopped by Brody Michael's room to see if he wanted to join him but found him fast asleep on his bed.

Evan grabbed the comforter and drapped it over the boy.  "Good night son."

"Good night dad." Brody Michael muttered.

Evan could not help but smile in response. He hit the lights as he walked out and then made his way to his room.

As he walked down the hall he could hear the sound of light jazz music playing.  He walked into his room to find it lit by candle light, two glasses of wine sat on the table in the center of the room with a platter of cheese and crackers.

"There you are."  Anna said as she emerged from the bathroom wearing a pink negligee.  He felt electricity shoot through his body at the sight of her. "I was about to call you."

"How did your conference with Mordecai go?" He asked.

Anna picked up the glasses of wine and then walked over to him. "I don't want to talk about Mordecai right now." She then handed him a glass and took a sip of her own.  "Right now this is no Mordecai, no Elrich, no dopplegangers from alternate realities."  She moved in closer. "There is just the two of us."

She then kissed him.

His heart began to pound in his chest as he said "Coy will be checking in soon..."

"Coy can talk to Miranda." She said.

"But what if he finds something?" He asked.

"He is quite capable of handling anything he finds." She then kissed him again.

Evan moved back causing his body to scream no at him.  "Its almost the boy's bed time I really should make sure they get to bed."

"Evan I am going to tell you something that I think has escaped your attention."  She said with a grave look in their eyes. "Those boys are not ten, they are fifteen to eighteen and are quite capable of getting themselves to bed without you hovering over them like some mother hen."

"But..."

"No buts."  She placed her finger on his lips. "They know the rules, they know what is expected of them, and you just have to trust that they will do what they are told."

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."  Anna said as she touched his chin. "Three of them are adults and I think you need to start treating them as such."

He wanted to argue with her, tell her she was wrong but he could not. She was right. Alex and both Brodys were adults. Stephen and Bernie themselves were almost adult themselves.  He needed to stop treating them like little boys before he lost them or damaged them.

"They are fifteen to eighteen." He said.

"Yes they are." Anna said with a smile.

"And I can trust them." He said.

"Well to get to bed at a reasonable hour at least." She said with a smile.

"At least."

"Now come here." She then kissed him and felt his worries, fears and qualms evaporate from his body. He felt more at peace in that moment than he did in a long time. 

"Come." She said as took his hand.

"Yes ma'am " He said as he let her lead him to the table.

He relaxed as he told himself that nothing mattered right now but this moment.

The car pulled up outside the warehouse. Coy operated the drones as they made their way into the building.

"So far so good." Coy said as they passed through the empty warehouse. So far there seemed to be no signs of life in or around the warehouse. Trey had taken a vantage point on a nearby roof just in case while Silas was reconning on the other side.

"Wait what is that?" Grace asked.

"Its two kids." Coy said as the drone approached the bodies of two boys laying on the warehouse floor. He felt his heart sink in his chest at the sight of them.

Elrich you monster.

"Who are they?" Grace asked.

"I'm not sure." A look of recognition crossed his face. "Wait don't they look like..."

"Brody." Grace then said. Warm tears stung at her eyes.  "They're Brody's and Stephen's brothers "

"We better get in there." Coy said.